


With Flying Colours

by antigrav_vector



Series: Hivemeet Collab 2019 [2]
Category: Captain America (MCU), Iron Man (MCU), The Avengers (MCU)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Canon Typical Violence, Captain of the Guard Bucky, Established Relationship, F/M, Inspired by Art, King's Champion Tony, M/M, Queen Peggy, Some blood and gore, bucky pov, but nothing graphic, collab fic, king steve, knight tony, pov fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 18:32:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19431730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: Alexander Pierce has come before the Court to plead the case for a faction who wants to form an independent state, and things go horribly wrong. Now the King's Champion has no choice but to answer a challenge that threatens the throne itself.





	With Flying Colours

**Author's Note:**

> Posted unbeta'ed. Please excuse any remaining typos.

Forced to stay silent by protocol, Bucky could only watch the scene unfold. The Outlands Faction, who wanted to sue for independence, had sent Alexander Pierce to plead their case of in front of the entirety of the Court as their Envoy.

Pierce, a well known noble with a lot of influence, was one of those smooth-talking types that Bucky fundamentally distrusted, but since Pierce had never made a big enough political misstep before, he'd been able to escape any repercussions of his broken promises. 

Steve felt much the same about the man, and so did his queen, Peggy. Despite being king of their land, though, Steve couldn't simply strip Pierce of his lands and titles without a damned good reason. 

This, Bucky reflected with a wince, might be a good enough reason.

“My King, the peoples of the border regions are under enormous pressure,” Pierce was saying. “It is no longer enough that their king and queen act like distant parents.”

Bucky could see the subtle way Peggy's eyes tightened in anger, hearing her devotion to her duties compared to that of a noble lady with a nursemaid. She cared deeply about her people and did everything humanly possible to ensure they would have enough to eat and a warm place to sleep.

Knowing that she couldn't do that for everyone pained and stressed her.

Steve scowled. “What are you trying to say, Alex?” He demanded, not pleased by the implications of Pierce’s statement, either.

“I'm saying, my king, that the time has come for more direct intervention, or perhaps some clever delegation. Allow me to take some of the stress of leadership from you, sire, and take up governorship of the lands that are feeling neglected.”

Bucky winced.

Peggy stood, her eyes bright with fury, and her color rising. “You dare insult us, in our own house, sir!”

Pierce shrugged. “I did not speak with that intent,” he replied calmly, “but should you choose to interpret it as such, I cannot prevent you.”

Bucky bit down on his sigh and took his position at Steve's right shoulder, seeing Tony vanish unobtrusively from the large hall used when the king and queen held court.

This was going to go so badly. He just knew it. “Lord Pierce,” he said formally, in his role as Captain of the Guard, “tread carefully, for the King’s Champion has been called upon for lesser transgressions.”

“Let him come,” Pierce answered. “I have brought my own Champion.”

Stunned, Bucky's hand went to the sword belted at his waist. “You dare much, Sir!” He growled, stepping forward to take up a position between Pierce, who was backed by a fairly sizable entourage, and his sovereigns. 

Pierce's Champion stepped forward out of the group of mailed and armoured men, already in full Champion’s regalia and anonymous in his full face mask, as was traditional and expected of the King's Champion, but illegal for anyone else to wear. To make matters worse, Bucky recognized the way this man held himself and the weapons he carried. That was Rumlow. This was a man who had very definitely earned his nom de guerre, and the mere mention of his moniker, Crossbones, had been enough to legitimately dissuade many potentially rebellious lords from actually challenging the throne. 

Bucky's sword was in his hand a bare moment later, and he felt his guard close ranks behind him, a ring of steel and will protecting the king and queen, who customarily wore no armour at court. Sam and Natasha wound up to either side of him, and Bucky took a certain measure of comfort in that.

Crossbones stood his ground, and the blank mask kept Bucky from seeing whether his own show of force had had any affect at all.

The tableau held for a minute that seemed to drag, and then the King’s Champion arrived on the scene.

“My king,” the King’s Champion greeted Steve, his voice disguised to the point of being unrecognizable by the cleverly designed helmet he wore. “Are my services required?”

Steve got to his own feet, then, the threat in the set of his shoulders clear. “I had hoped not, Champion, but it appears that Lord Pierce feels they are.”

“My liege.” Tony bowed, then saluted, tapping his closed fist against his breastplate. “I am at your command.”

Crossbones scoffed, his derision clear. “Have at you, then,” he growled, and drew his sword.

The King’s Champion paced past the line of guards flanking Bucky, his armour making very little noise save for the impacts of his boots on the floor, and stood opposite Crossbones before drawing his own sword with a rasp of steel that felt like it made Bucky's teeth stand on end.

It was unsettling to see two figures in blank-faced armour staring one another down. It was like an endless staring contest between two statues. Neither would ever blink, and both of them knew it. 

Before Bucky was remotely prepared for it, both men were in motion, trading a flurry of blows and feints as they tested one another. The ringing clash of steel on steel was doing its best to make Bucky's skin draw up in goosebumps. This was a room that should never ever see combat, and yet here they were, watching the King's Champion face down an entirely unexpected and extremely unwelcome opponent.

Tony was damned good at what he did, Bucky knew. One of the best fighters in the Kingdom. Only the very best knights of the realm were ever considered for the posting, and among them only the ones most loyal to the crown stood any chance of getting it.

But Crossbones was hardly unblooded. His reputation for ferocity was only matched by his willingness to spill blood, and Steve had often cursed the man's willingness to resort to violence rather than seek a diplomatic solution. Or to kill rather than subdue. Crossbones was a man Bucky suspected had no scruples at all; after all, he wasn't just a fighter with a reputation for being ruthless, but was standing before them openly wearing armour that was reserved only for the King's Champion -- implying that as far as he was concerned Pierce was king -- and had drawn his sword in the rightful king's presence. It was an act tantamount to a declaration of war.

And his Tony was forced to face off with the challenger.

Bucky felt more than heard his guardsmen tighten their formation behind him.

"Champion," Steve said during a brief pause in the action, his voice grave and solemn, "you do us honor."

Growling something impatient Bucky couldn't make out, Crossbones took that moment to strike, deliberately taking advantage of the fact that Tony's attention would be on Steve's words rather than keeping up his guard.

Crossbones' sword was deflected harmlessly past Tony's side, though, and Bucky forced his eyes away from the fight briefly to take stock of the situation in the room. Pierce and his entourage hadn't bothered to do more than pull back a short ways, so that Rumlow and Tony had enough room to fight. Albeit barely. Drawn up in a formation similar to the one used by Bucky's guardsmen, they conveniently formed a barrier between Tony and Pierce.

It was ever so tempting to interfere, to defend his lover and his sovereigns. He desperately wanted to push Pierce's men back far enough to give Tony more room to maneuver -- Tony was far more agile than most, and many of his strategies depended on taking full advantage of his mobility -- but Bucky knew that was forbidden. When the King's Champion entered a fight, it had to be alone.

Tony's sword and Crossbones’ clashed together again, trading another flurry of blows, then a third, before the pair of them circled one another cautiously, like a pair of wary armoured cats.

“You won't win,” Crossbones told Tony with a voice that rang with confidence. “Surrender now and join us, and live.”

Tony snorted derisively. “And, what? Be constantly watched and treated like a traitor?”

Crossbones growled a curse at Tony and lunged at him, his form perfect and his sword point gleaming. 

Pierce's men shifted their stances, and Bucky hissed a curse of his own under his breath. On the other hand, it was possible that Pierce wouldn't adhere to that rule of single combat, and his guardsmen would have to occupy Pierce's men, so that they didn't interfere.

With a subtle handsignal to Natasha, he took one small step forward and to his left. She took one back and to her right. Natasha and Sam, his lieutenants, knew that request. It wasn't one they used often, save for when Steve or Peggy took it into their head to lead from the front and charge into battle. Natasha would keep an eye on their king, Sam an eye on their queen, leaving Bucky and the rest of his guardsmen free to keep an eye on the way the battle developed.

Crossbones was corps-a-corps with Tony now, his sword locked with Tony's at the hilt, and doing his best to use his raw strength and body weight to force Tony to his knees. 

“Surrender, or die,” Crossbones demanded, and Bucky heard Pierce chuckle quietly, apparently delighted by the spectacle he'd caused.

Tony shoved Crossbones away from him, making Crossbones stumble over his own feet and fall to the floor on his back with a crash of metal on stone. 

Tony's sword point came to rest over Crossbones throat and he planted a boot in the center of Crossbones chest plate. “I think not, Pal. But you and your lord Pierce might have to.”

His other foot was planted squarely on the blade of Crossbones’ sword, Bucky noted, pleased. Preventing Crossbones from attempting to stab him in the groin or the leg.

“Surrender, or die,” Tony demanded, making Bucky smirk.

Crossbones picked that moment to shock everyone in the hall a second time. “Hail Hydra!” He declared, and lurched upward, sending Tony's sword squarely through the armour at his throat.

Pierce shouted something about idiots that Bucky ignored. He and his guardsmen rushed forward to encircle Pierce and his entourage.

Steve pushed past Natasha, his fury lighting him up from within, and simply stared Pierce down for a few seconds. “We are hereby stripping you of your titles, Lord Pierce. As sponsor of this challenger to the authority of the throne and our Champion, you will be interrogated in the dungeons until you have told us of the full extent of your treachery.”

Bucky knew that was his cue, and nodded. “Guardsman Wilson, please see to it that all of Pierce's retinue is held and questioned. Guardsman Romanova?”

“Yes, sir?” She appeared at his elbow as if conjured.

“I’d like you with me. We have some answers to pry loose.” Bucky smiled at Pierce, the expression edged and promising pain.

It meant he wouldn't be able to seek his lover's bed anytime soon, that he wouldn't be able to reassure himself -- and Tony -- that all was still as well as it could be when the Hydra threat they'd thought had been banished had returned to haunt them at home.

But, at least, no one but Crossbones had been injured, and they'd come through the attempted coup with flying colours.


End file.
